Bird Proofing Your Boat for the Winter

Time to bird proof your boat for the heavy winter months ahead. Fail to do so and you can expect the usual avalanche of bird droppings on your canvas covers, biminis, antennas, windows and all over your decks.

Without effective bird control, large birds like geese, ducks, cormorants and gulls will perch, roost and nest on and around your vessel. Come spring and summer, you’ll be stuck with major cleanup chores. Dried bird droppings are very hard to remove.  And they can cause your antenna gear to seize up and your canvas to tear up. It won’t be easy or cheap to bring your boat to ship-shape condition. You’ll wish you had installed some bird deterrents to keep the pesky birds away. The time to act is now. And what to use are the many effective and humane bird deterrents currently available to boat owners.

Here’s a sampling of what today’s bird control experts recommend:

Wind-Powered Bird Spiders

These devices really work in keeping birds, large and small, off your vessel. Easy to set up wherever birds have become a problem, Bird Spiders’ flailing arms whip wildly in the breeze to swoosh away birds. No more gulls, pigeons or cormorants perching on your deck or roof. Bird spiders come in 2-, 4-, 6- and 8-foot diameter arm lengths to create ever wider circles of protection. The best bird spiders are made in the USA and feature a glue-on base for easy mounting. These will also have a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base for lasting durability in punishing weather. A removable sand bag base lets you position a spider on virtually any surface. Additional mounting bases allow you place spiders on masts and radar units.

The Repeller 360

Similar to Bird Spiders, the Repeller 360 was specifically designed to keep large birds like gulls, cormorants and raptors from perching and roosting on the flat areas on and around your boat. The device features big, reflective “predator eyes” that intimidate birds and prevent them from landing. Since it too is wind powered, the Repeller 360 is easy to set up and requires no electrical power. It rotates continuously, sweeping the area clear of birds and covering a 6-foot diameter.

Stainless Steel Bird Spikes

The ultimate anti-perching, anti-roosting pest bird deterrent, Bird Spikes will deny pest birds access to any lofty area on and around your boat. The most durable bird spikes are made in the USA and guaranteed for 10 years. They’re made of stainless steel embedded in a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. The spiked strips come in 1”, 3”, 5” and 8” widths and have a 1.5”  base for convenient mounting on narrow ledges and other “tight” areas. The spikes to look for will already come with a glue trough and pre-drilled mounting holes for fast, easy installation. Plastic bird spikes can be equally effective and come in a variety of colors.